Had to buy rental agency’s insurance

By Marvin FeldmanThis item appears on page 49 of the November 2017 issue.

My wife, Carole, and I found Ron Carlson’s letter “Tips on Driving in Europe” interesting (Sept. ’17, pg. 15). With one of his tips, he stated, “Many major US credit cards cover collision damage, with no deductible, but be sure to check the terms, and use the card for making both the reservation and the final payment.

“There should be no need to buy any insurance from the rental agency, itself, except in a few fringe countries…”

Carole and I spent two weeks in August-September 2017 in Scotland with a rental car. In May, when I reserved the car from Advantage Rent A Car through Expedia.com, Expedia included the warning, “Rental may have mandatory insurance requirements.”

This is exactly what happened to us. Pickup and drop-off were at a Europcar desk at the Edinburgh Airport, and Europcar refused to rent me a car without the purchase of their insurance.

The mandatory insurance more than doubled the price of the rental!

Bottom line — I had no choice. If I wanted their car, I had to purchase their insurance.